I usually have a lot of birthday rituals.
For example, I treat myself to an annual solar return reading from my favorite astrologer in London.
(Since he has the best Welsh accent and voice, it really doesn’t matter what he says; I’m basically just paying to hear Richard Burton talk about my future for an hour.)
This year, however, the idea of any kind of gathering (for obvious reasons) felt challenging.
My solution…?
1. Invite only five people.
2. Gather on the roof (more open than my terrace).
3. Offer Social Distancing Sticks.
What are Social Distancing Sticks?
I realized one night I had two dozen six-foot bamboo rods left over from last year’s dahlias.
Since six feet apart is sometimes hard to measure––much less enforce––I crafted these for my guests.
My clearly-labeled sticks remind me so much of the tiny spikes that came with my springtime seed kit.
(You may recall from several newsletters ago that Belle trampled over everything right after planting.)
Here’s the update:
• Pretty much everything was indeed mislabeled.
• A few things––the lavender and the morning glories––simply did not bloom.
• Nonetheless, most things did and my garden is thriving.
In the same way:
• My usual birthday plans required significant reinvention.
• One guest was detained (but there’s always Zoom).
• Most importantly, even in this challenging time, friendship and connections can thrive.
Here’s one more VERY IMPORTANT update.
Leo, the neighbor’s puppy that I’m obsessed with (and whom Belle actively ignores), went from floppy ears to sprouting full-blown German Shepherd ones over the course of a weekend.
I’m not kidding.
RADICAL TRANSFORMATION is possible always and everywhere––that’s the theme of this month’s new meditation HERE––in ways that often surprise us.
One final anecdote…
About twelve years ago, Adrian gave me this picnic basket for Christmas.
And I’ve never really used it.
I’ve always displayed it though, since it’s aspirational in its chicness, making me want to become the kind of person who actually picnics.
(Sadly, I’m just not that person yet.)
And now, this year, with a rooftop party, I finally used my picnic basket gift.
Another reason I keep my picnic basket on display, however, is also because a decade ago, when most of what I owned was in storage, proud of my organizational abilities, I showed my friend Susan a photo of my clearly-labeled boxes.
She immediately noted one (the one that had this basket in it) marked “FRAGILE PICNIC.”
Both of us instantly realized that…
Life itself is really a Fragile Picnic.
And that phrase has delighted me ever since.
More than ever before, despite it all, I realize we are sharing a Fragile Picnic together…
• Not necessarily easy (and certainly not predictable).
• Often, with rainstorms and quarantines, requiring improvisation.
• And yet ultimately, there’s still so much still to celebrate.
Namaste for Now,
P.S. One final note:
My July 2nd birthday is actually the exact midpoint of the year.
So, forget about your New Year’s Resolutions.
Why not make a mid-year one that surprises (and transforms) you instead?
Check out the new Transformation Meditation HERE and please share with me what you discover.
